How to properly pay tribute to the recently deceased is an age old question. In some societies at some times, death has been accepted as a natural part of the life cycle. People are born, they live and they die, all in close proximity to their friends and loved ones. In these societies, death rituals are highly personal and at times have involved consuming the heart, mummification or other behaviors that modern Western society may consider odd.
In Western societies in the past decades, death has been a mysterious force to be respected, feared and most of all removed from personal dealings. It is considered a sad occasion, one when mourning is expected and standardized rituals bring comfort. The tradition of the black funeral car is born out of these feelings toward death.
However, not all traditions, even in Western culture, see death in this way. Wakes and jazz funerals focus on celebrating the person’s life, rather than mourning his or her passing. Most religious traditions speak of life beyond death, and some people want to celebrate their loved one’s crossing into an infinitely better form of existence.
Accordingly, many funeral homes have begun to offer the option of white funeral cars, sometimes old-fashioned versions that are drawn by white horses. A white hearse can be appropriate in a celebration of life, a celebration of the crossing to the afterlife or other such symbolic gestures.
If you are a funeral home director, you might want to perform some market research in your area. Like the environmentally friendly green funeral, white funeral cars appear to be an increasing market trend. If you would like to add a white hearse to your fleet, we invite you to stop by our friendly local dealership. We can help you select the funeral car that is right for you.